60 Heroes: Taking A Hard Line for Players’ Rights

Lauded for his tenacious work and advancement of players’ rights, Jeffrey Kessler is likely on speed dial for most sports labor unions. Since earning his law degree from Columbia, Kessler has become one of the most prominent sports lawyers in the country, thanks in part to his successful work with the NFLPA.

Following two unsuccessful strikes during the 1980s, the NFLPA turned to Kessler and his law partner, Jim Quinn, who both endorsed an unprecedented move – that the union decertify, allowing players to sue the league individually or as part of a class action lawsuit. The move worked, as Kessler helped win the 1992 Freeman McNeil case and helped negotiate a settlement in 1993, which brought unrestricted free agency for the players for the first time in NFLPA history.

During the 17 years of labor peace that followed, Kessler was a spokesman for the NFLPA in CBA extension negotiations in 1996, 2000, 2006 and again in 2011, when the players were locked out by the owners that year. At the same time, he counseled the NFLPA through its move to again renounce its bargaining rights and then served as co-counsel in the Brady case, challenging the lockout as an antitrust violation. Kessler then helped negotiate a final settlement in July 2011 that ended the lockout and provided much-improved benefits and protections for the players.

Since the 2011 settlement, Kessler’s work has continued to be critical for the NFL player. He has been lead counsel in several successful arbitration cases, including the Bountygate case in New Orleans, the overturning of Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension and the reinstatement of Adrian Peterson following his retroactive suspension.